Wendy Bisaro

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I had the same question as Mr. Bromley and I’m really glad to hear it is clarified. When I heard the Premier make the remarks, it sounded as though we were taking over negotiations with Aboriginal governments for agreements and I’m glad to hear that that is not changed. I think that would be something which would be not very well thought of.

I did want to ask with regards to negotiations. Last year at one point, I think when we discussed the budget, there was concern expressed by both the department and by Members that the federal government’s Fiscal Harmonization...

Thanks to the Minister for that detail. He’s taking me to my next question, which has to do with certification.

The Minister, in his statement, said we’re also putting in place a credentialing system, scholarships and incentives for early childhood development professionals. So I’d like to know from the Minister, I agree completely that we need to have our early childhood professionals certified and they need to be certified to a national standard, but I’d like to know from the Minister if, in 2016, certification is going to increase the wages of our professionals. So I’d like to know, again...

Thanks, Mr. Chair. I just have a question here with regards to the contributions for the Native Women’s Association and the Status of Women Council. I note that there was a small increase, certainly for the Status of Women Council, a very small increase in ’13-14 from ’12-13, and a bit of an increase in the same year for the Native Women’s Association, but the contributions have remained flat since then.

I’d like to know from the Minister, is there any policy which gives a cost of living increase or some sort of forced growth increase to these organizations year over year? Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Speaker. My questions today are also addressed to the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. I would like to follow up on some of the concerns raised in my Member’s statement.

On October 7th the Minister made a statement in this House and in that statement he announced a wage or subsidy program for early childhood practitioners. I recognize that our child care staff tend to be poorly paid. They are certainly on the low end of the wage scale, in my estimation.

I would like to ask the Minister, first of all, how this particular approach, how a wage subsidy approach was...

Thanks to the Minister and I appreciate that the department does everything they can. I think that the department where the employee is returning to work probably also does everything they can, but what I thought I heard the Minister say was, when push comes to shove, if I as an employee can’t be accommodated, then sort of the only thing that’s left is for me to quit my job or to be pushed out of my job. I don’t think that’s the intention of the government, but that’s kind of what I’m hearing.

There must be some avenue, and maybe if it’s even if the Minister says that the person has to go to...

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I have been hearing much lately about GNWT initiatives for early childhood development and early childhood education. I’m fully supportive of these initiatives. In fact, I think we should be putting more money into improving programs and services for our children aged zero to three.

Today I want to highlight some of the implications of the government’s early childhood development initiatives. The Department of Education will, in September 2014, start junior kindergarten in 29 of our 33 communities, and that will expand to all 33 communities by September 2016 when it...

Thanks, Mr. Chair, and thanks to Ms. Bassi-Kellett for that. That’s good to hear. I hope it stays down there.

My other question has to do with the duty to accommodate. I believe the department has put a bit of a focus on the accommodation of employees who have been off due to injury or some for disability, but I am referencing generally injury. There will be times when a department makes an offer to an employee who is returning to work to accommodate them in a certain way and the employee disagrees. When there is a problem like that and the two parties can’t reach any kind of an agreement, is...

Mr. Chair, there are no questions here.

Thanks for the clarification. Maybe the term should be regional client service centre, so one would understand that they’re the same.

I wanted to just emphasize – I don’t know if I’ve made this comment, but I know it has been made to the department – in terms of regional recruitment, I think it is the intent of the department to try to mentor some people in the regions and fill vacant positions, and also for people who are retiring, to make sure the role is filled when they do retire. My understanding is the department is looking at either long-service employees or senior level employees. I...

Thanks to Ms. Bassi-Kellett. Just a comment, and I haven’t studied the ads that have come out, but I don’t know the option to do hard copy of resumes and apply that way is really out there as an option. I think the focus of the ads that I have seen is all on-line via computer.

I guess I would just ask the department to think about their advertising. I appreciate that they’re doing what they can to try and get jobs around in communities where there is no access or where people likely don’t have access to computers and so on, but I don’t know that that’s well publicized. I would just encourage...